


Chasing a Memory

by GoatWhore



Series: Sonic Game-verse AU [6]
Category: Sonic the Hedgehog (Video Games), Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Can be read as a stand alone, Domestic Fluff, Drama & Romance, Fluff and Angst, Light Angst, M/M, Married Couple, One-sided pining, Pining, Post Forces, Smut, Years Later, established sonknux, established sonuckles, infinite is babysitting, kind of a sequel to losing you again, no sonic isn't cheating on knuckles, original fan child, sonfinite, sonic and knuckles are married, soninfinite
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-25
Updated: 2020-05-25
Packaged: 2021-03-03 06:20:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24346399
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoatWhore/pseuds/GoatWhore
Summary: Infinite, now only known as Jack, has to live with his decision of not pursuing Sonic when he had the chance. Years later, he finds that Sonic is married and has a child. When he decides to pay him a visit, he gets roped into babysitting Sonic's daughter Ruby the echidna, which ironically, leads him to find his resolve.Some sexual content and language. Some domestic fluff. (I know, this story is all over the place!)This one-shot is set after Losing You Again, the last story in my Sonic AU, and follows up on Infinite the Jackal.
Relationships: Infinite/Sonic the Hedgehog, Knuckles the Echidna/Sonic the Hedgehog
Series: Sonic Game-verse AU [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1758286
Comments: 10
Kudos: 16





	Chasing a Memory

**Author's Note:**

> This one-shot is set after my other story, Losing You Again, and follows up on Infinite the Jackal. For the purpose of this AU, he has discarded the moniker of Infinite and changed his name to Jack. 
> 
> If you're new here, I hope it's not too confusing. I tried to make it so that it's not hard to follow if you haven't read the previous story. But if you're really lost, and want to know more, the last two chapters and epilogue of Losing You Again will give you a better idea.
> 
> This is also part of my series, a game-based Sonic AU, that started with my oldest fanfic on here, called To Choose is To be Free.
> 
> Enjoy!!

Sonic never talked while they were having sex. He responded to the jackal's advances through moans and pants. 

Jack pressed Sonic further into the mattress, his engorged penis near the hedgehog's tight hole. Sonic had his tail up, laying belly down and writhing in anticipation. The jackal's cock broke through Sonic's tiny opening, thrusting deep inside the hedgehog's body. Sonic whimpered into the pillow under his face.

“You like my cock, baby boy? Want me to fuck you hard, then come inside you?” he asked Sonic, as he stood behind him. 

Sonic nodded while whining into the pillow, lifting and grinding his ass against the jackal's pelvis in response.

“Mmm… I love the way your body reacts.”

The jackal knew it was wrong. Sonic was married and had a child. But somehow, knowing that made these sexual encounters all the more alluring. 

It started the day Jack ran into Sonic's little family. Before then, he hadn't seen the hedgehog since that fateful day at the beach, after the fight with Shadow had reawakened his powers. That was the day his past crimes as Infinite resurfaced in his mind, making him choose to walk out of Sonic's life.

He had regretted leaving Sonic that day at the beach almost as soon as he had done it. He regretted trying to be the better person, and telling Sonic they shouldn't sleep together that night, not knowing he would never get another chance.

But he was out of sight and out of mind for a long time.

Seeing Sonic married to the Resistance commander, and having a child with him no less, astonished and disappointed the jackal all at once. Sonic explained to him how the child came into existence and even invited him back into his life.

Jack flipped the hedgehog upside down and onto his back, Sonic’s head hanging over the edge of the bed. He inserted his dick into Sonic's mouth, the hedgehog eagerly lapping at it with his tongue and sucked him off quickly.

Sonic's mouth was heaven. 

Jack put his mouth over Sonic's cock, bobbing his head up and down its length.

“You taste so good, baby boy. Mmmm… you’re delicious.” His clawed fingers massaged the opening behind the hedgehog's furry scrotum. He spit a mix of saliva and semen on it, running his tongue around the rim before it penetrated the puckered hole. 

Sonic let out an audible moan, and then Jack switched their positions again. He flipped Sonic right side up, and carried him off the mattress. Sonic wrapped his legs around the jackal's waist, and in an instant Jack was pounding into Sonic, bouncing his body so that his ass would fall hard onto his cock.

Jack was purposely aggressive towards the hedgehog, knowing Sonic could endure whatever he did to him. He threw him back down onto the mattress as he stood at the edge, fucking him vigorously on the brink of orgasm, until he finally ejaculated inside Sonic. He pumped Sonic's cock with his hand to make him come, releasing semen all over his peach pelt. 

“You're such a good little bitch,” Jack said, covering Sonic's mouth with his own, kissing him deeply. Sonic wrapped his arms around Jack's shoulders, tangling his fingers in the jackal's long white dreadlocks. The jackal's canine penis swelled up inside Sonic after ejaculation, keeping them both locked in place. Sonic shivered and whimpered from the pain as he kissed Jack back sloppily.

Sonic's shaking became uncontrollable and erratic, his body suddenly glitching out of existence. 

With the illusion gone, Jack was left standing over his bed, his sheets covered in his own semen, and his swollen member left throbbing. He laid down on his back breathing heavily and waited for the swelling to die down. He took a deep breath and sighed, wishing the real Sonic was here to sleep by his side.

Even though he was able to create this fantasy for himself, he was left feeling hollow, and unbelievably lonely, longing for the real Sonic.

When they were reunited some months ago, Sonic gave Jack an open invitation to come visit his family up on Angel Island whenever he wanted. As it was in Sonic's overly friendly nature, he had told the jackal that he thought of him as family.

It had been a few months since the last time he had visited them. He knew Sonic and Knuckles were often busy living the life of young parents. After all, their daughter Ruby, was nearly two and half now.

It was tough to be alone tonight. He felt worse than he had in a long time. Sonic being so close to him, yet still so unattainable made the jackal want him more. He needed to pay him a visit. He needed to see the real Sonic. 

Jack sat up on his bed, picking a cigarette out of the carton and lit it, reflecting on his life between leaving Sonic, up until this point.

Through his persistent gambling, Jack had accumulated enough money to buy himself a small cottage in a remote forest village. And although he occasionally went to the nearby city for the casino, he mostly spent his days out in the village alone.

It wasn't for a lack of trying to meet new people. He even went out on dates and slept with a few people, but no one he found ever connected with him the way Sonic had. 

Shaking Sonic out of his thoughts for a moment, he looked at his old sword from his days as Zero, the captain of Squad Jackal. Through some stroke of luck, he'd found the sword at an auction, and placed the winning bid. The sword which has shed more blood than Jack cared to remember now sat on display in his bedroom. He only wanted it for nostalgic reasons, even though he loathed his life during his mercenary days. But at the very least, he was surrounded by his friends back then. 

Unfortunately, by the time he realized how much he needed them, it was way too late. It was only after Shadow had murdered his squad that he realized he had taken them for granted.

Jack finished off his cigarette, flicking the butt onto the ashtray, and made up his mind to go pay Sonic a visit. He decided he would leave for Angel Island the following afternoon.

xxxxxxx

Ruby the echidna definitely got her speed from her father, Sonic. She zipped through the floating island, quick as her short little legs could take her. She was still nowhere near on par with her dad, however. He would often purposely stay far behind her and stop for a breather, knowing he could easily catch up to her when he wanted.

They were currently engaged in a game of tag and he did just that, sitting down in a clearing for a break. He was feeling pretty lazy today.

“Whoa buddy! You're too fast! I can't catch you!” Sonic yelled from a distance as he relaxed. He liked letting her think she could outrun him. 

Ruby kept running, her little sandals making flopping sounds as her feet struck the ground. 

Jack had just arrived at the island when he saw the little echidna girl running.

“Hey, Ruby,” Jack greeted, as he approached her.

Ruby froze in place, not immediately recognizing the jackal. He towered over her, and quite frankly he looked intimidating with the scar, claws, and all the leather.

She made an about face, running to hide behind a tree trunk. She peeked out of the side, looking at him nervously. 

“Aw, don't be scared, Ruby. Don't you remember me? I'm your uncle Jack.” The jackal sighed when Ruby put her head back behind the tree. “Okay then, never mind. Where's your daddy?”

“Red daddy or bwue daddy?” came her voice from behind the tree. She couldn't correctly pronounce certain word sounds yet. 

“Uhh, blue daddy,” Jack answered. 

Without a word, Ruby ran back to where she came from, expecting Jack to follow her. He sprinted to keep up with the little runner. 

“Gotcha!” Sonic shouted, jumping out at Ruby and catching her, making her squeal in delight.

“Bwue daddy! I wasn't ready,” she said through laughter, already forgetting about the jackal.

“Well look at you, Sonic,” Jack said, approaching the scene. “You’re a sight for sore eyes.”

“Jack?” Sonic let go of his daughter, going up to the jackal to pull him into a hug. “Hey! What're you doing here? It's good to see you.”

Jack shrugged nonchalantly, as Sonic pulled away, brushing it off as if he hadn't been pining over the hedgehog for the past few months.

“Just thought I should stop by to pay you guys a visit,” Jack said. “I think your daughter's scared of me.”

“No way. Ruby, you remember your uncle Jack, don't you? He's the one that gave you your favorite race car.”

Ruby was hiding behind her father's leg. 

“Come'ere. Say hi, baby,” Sonic said holding her hand. 

“Hi,” she said shyly. 

“Hello again, Ruby. Speaking of race cars, I brought you another one.” Jack pulled out a miniature magenta race car and handed it over to the little echidna. “This one looks like you. Now, you have a blue one for blue daddy and a magenta one for you.”

She happily accepted the tiny car, feeling braver now. “Unco Jack, can you bring a red one for red daddy?”

“Of course, Ruby. I'm sure I can find a red one somewhere.”

“Yay! Thank you!” She shouted, hugging the jackal's leg before stepping away to play with her new toy on the ground. 

“You're so good with her Jack,” Sonic said. 

“Please. All I did was bribe her,” Jack returned.

“Well, sometimes it takes a little buttering up so they'll listen to you.”

“Sounds like you've got this parenting thing down.”

“Nope!” Sonic said earnestly. “Everyday is a learning experience. Trust me, we aren't without our challenges. I love her to death, but some days I'd rather be up against Doctor Eggman and his ancient deity of the week than deal with this little gremlin.”

“I don't envy you then," Jack said. 

“Don't get me wrong, though. It's all so worth it in the end,” Sonic said airily. “I’m actually really glad you’re here.”

“Me too, Sonic,” Jack said, although Sonic was happy for a different reason.

“Well, um... would you hate me if I asked you a favor? It’s kind of a biggie.”

The jackal knitted his brows together. “What is it?”

“Uh, so, Aunt Amy canceled watching Ruby for us last minute. Me and Knux already had plans to go down to the city tonight and get some stuff done. And... it's been a while since we've had any grown up fun... if you know what I mean.”

“So, you wanna stick your kid on me so you two can go party?”

“Not party. Just a date night. Please?” Sonic said, his brows scrunched up hopefully. “Just for a few hours? We can skip some stuff and be back sooner if you want.”

“I'm just messing with you Sonic. Of course. I'd be happy to watch her. Take all the time you need. It's not like I have anywhere else to be.”

“Thank you! Ugh, I really appreciate it, you have no idea. I'm gonna owe you one, Jack,” Sonic said wrapping his arms around the jackal for another hug. 

Jack relished in his embrace. “Ah, don't worry about it.” He held Sonic’s waist lightly, his hands slipping off slowly as the hedgehog pulled away.

“She really loves you, you know? I don't know why she was being so shy. Maybe you just caught her off guard. She still talks about you all the time, especially when she's playing with that blue race car.”

“Really? That's sweet.”

“You're sweet.” Sonic gazed into the jackal's heterochromatic eyes, grinning brightly at him. 

Jack so wished he could press his mouth against Sonic's, and run his hands all over his body. If Sonic only knew the things he had done to his illusion, he might not be so quick to call him sweet. Jack was startled out of his thoughts when Sonic cleared his throat. He wasn’t sure if Sonic could sense him lusting after him, or if he even felt a hint of the sexual tension between them.

“Ruby, can you go get red daddy and tell him to come meet us at home," Sonic asked his daughter. "Tell him uncle Jack is here.”

“Okay, bwue daddy,” she said before taking off.

“So what are you two doing tonight?” Jack asked as Sonic led him to the burrow. 

“Um, just some stuff in Station Square. We're picking up a present for Ruby's two and half year birthday,” Sonic said.

"Two and a half? You celebrate half birthdays," Jack scoffed. "And you wonder why your kid is spoiled."

“We celebrate half anniversaries, too,” Sonic said snarkily. “Is that a problem?” 

“No, just an observation.”

“Sounds like a judgement to me. Every milestone is important to us, okay?”

Jack shot him a disapproving look. 

“Come on, she's my baby,” Sonic insisted. “She’s only gonna be a kid once.”

“Sounds like you're compensating for something,” Jack suggested.

“Yeah, both me and Knuckles had rough childhoods. So what if we want something better for our kid? We're making memories.”

“I guess so. I wouldn't know, I'm not a parent... and I probably won't ever be one.”

“Don't say that Jack. If that’s something you want, it could happen.”

“No. I don’t want that. Kids are the last thing on my mind right now.”

“Oh. Well, are you seeing anyone?” Sonic asked curiously.

“No. Still very single. It's hard to want to invite someone into my life. I wouldn't want to subject anyone to all the emotional weight of my past. You know that better than anyone.”

“Well, if they really get to know who you are, they'll look past all the shitty stuff and see that you're a great person. Just like I did.”

“Yeah, I guess so,” Jack said, unsatisfied by Sonic’s advice. He thought Sonic might be the only person that could ever fully accept him.

Sonic lent him a comforting hand, gently squeezing his shoulder. They arrived at the burrow just as Ruby came back, dragging her echidna father along by his mitt. 

“Ruby! What's the rush?” Knuckles said, trying to keep up with her.

“Tada! Sup-rise red daddy. Unco Jack is here! He's bringing a red race car for red daddy.”

“Oh really?” Knuckles asked suspiciously. 

“Not today, sweetheart. Some other time,” Sonic said.

“Aww,” Ruby pouted.

“Anyway, since Aunt Amy isn't coming to watch you tonight, Uncle Jack has very graciously offered us his babysitting services.”

“Yeay!!” the little echidna clapped, laughing mischievously. 

“Is that okay with you red daddy?” Sonic asked Knuckles. 

“Sure, of course,” Knuckles answered hastily. “Thanks, Jack. You're kind of a lifesaver. We have to go get the p.r.e.s.e.n.t. for this little one. And we also have some f.u.n. planned for ourselves.” 

Sonic smiled at him, pulling him closer to put an arm around his waist. Knuckles put an arm around Sonic’s shoulders.

“Yeah, I get it. So what's the deal for Ruby?” Jack asked the couple.

“Well, she just needs to eat dinner at some point,” Knuckles explained. “There's fruit for her to choose from, and she can have a wrap. She likes to choose her toppings, just try to make sure it’s protein and veggies. And she can stay and play outside as long as the sun is still out, but she knows when it gets dark out it's time to go inside.”

“She can stay out a little late, if she wants,” Sonic whispered loudly, winking at Jack. He was obviously the more lenient parent.

“Sonic,” Knuckles warned. 

The hedgehog shrugged. “After that it's story time and bedtime,” Sonic added. “Pretty easy.”

“Okay,” Jack said. 

“Alright, let's get going, babe. We're leaving now, Ruby. Bye sweetie pie, we love you,” Sonic said blowing a kiss towards his daughter.

Ruby ran up to Knuckles, and he crouched down to her level to embrace her. “Aww, you are the best hug giver, Ruby, thank you. I love you.”

“Bwue daddy, huggy,” she said after she let him go.

Sonic pulled her into a hug, kissing her cheek goodbye. “Bye, sweet pea, I love you. Please, be good for uncle Jack.”

“I wiw, bwue daddy.”

“And Jack, don't hesitate to shoot us a message if you need anything,” Knuckles added. 

Jack nodded in acknowledgment. 

Sonic and Knuckles turned to leave, their hands all over each other, going back and forth with playful banter. 

Jack could tell Sonic was still very much in love with the guardian, and there probably wasn’t much that could ever change that. 

Jack turned towards Ruby after her parents were out of sight. 

“So what do you want to do now, Ruby?”

The little echidna had gone back to playing with her car.

“Do you want to race your cars?”

“No! I wanna race you! Tag! Your it! Try to catch meee!” She said giggling before taking off running.

“Okay then,” Jack said to himself. “I'm coming for you, Ruby! Hey! New rule, clap your hands so I can hear which way you're going!”

He lost her immediately.

“Ugh, I am not gonna chase her around all night.”

But he ended up doing just that. When the jackal finally caught up to her, he picked her up and told her it was time for dinner.

“Red daddy said you can have a wrap,” Jack said after bringing her into the burrow. “So I guess it's this flatbread thing, with whatever toppings you choose and a side of fruit.”

“Can I have sumpfing else?” Ruby asked sweetly.

“Why? Don't you like that?”

Ruby shook her head. 

“Fine, look in here, take your pick.”

She raised her arms at him. 

“Pick me up!” she demanded.

He picked her up and raised her into the refrigerator.

“That’s what you want? Hot dogs?” Jack asked her when she pointed at the processed meat package.

“Doze are for bwue daddy. Dere not heawfy!” she said, apparently imitating Knuckles.

“Well, if blue daddy can have them, why can't you?”

She shrugged, excited to have something she wasn't usually allowed. 

Jack sat next to her at the table after serving her plate of dinner. “Start eating Ruby,” the jackal said. 

Ruby seemed transfixed by his face. 

“Unco Jack, why do you have a booboo on your eye?”

“I got hurt. A long time ago,” Jack answered curtly, not interested in answering the child’s questions.

“You have sharp teef like red daddy.”

“Yes, I do,” Jack said, slightly peeved.

“Why do you have one bwue eye?”

“I don't know, Ruby. I was born like this,” he snapped. “No more questions okay? Time to eat.”

When she grinned she looked just like Sonic, then she gobbled up the hot dog, ate a couple strawberries, and was reenergized for another game. She ran out of the burrow before the jackal could clean up. 

“Ruby, wait!” he shouted going after her. “It's getting dark now, remember what your daddies said!”

“Aww, I wanna play hide n’ seek!”

He sighed, deciding to give in. It wasn’t totally dark yet, anyway. “Okay, just one game.”

“I hide! You find me!” She said before running off for the umpteenth time. 

“Wait, aren’t I supposed to count?! Ugh… I give up. Ruby?! Ruby?! It's bedtime!”

“No!”

Jack heard her small voice come from a bush and then a rustling of leaves followed by the flip flop of her sandals. 

“What a wild child. Ruby?” The jackal only heard silence. He looked for her for a while, until the sun had set over the island completely. There was no moonlight tonight. Just the glow of the Master Emerald which only illuminated parts of the island. “Shit. Where is she?”

Jack frantically searched the forest of trees, not finding any trace of the little echidna.

“Ruby! I'm done playing this game, come out! You have to go to bed!”

“No!”

This time he heard the direction of her voice and snuck up on her.

“Found you! Com'on let's go. Bedtime,” he said picking her up. 

“No!” She squealed, flailing around and starting to throw a tantrum. 

“What's wrong with you?! Your daddies said no more playing outside after dark. Now it’s time to go inside and go to bed!”

Ruby started bawling, crying her eyes out and babbling incoherently. 

“I wan my daddies!!” Were the only words the jackal understood out her wails.

“Will you stop crying!?” he shouted, and Ruby's crying was reduced to her sobbing and gasping for air. He realized he had lost his temper. “Hey, I'm sorry, Ruby. I didn't mean to yell at you.” Jack hugged the tiny echidna girl, taking her inside the burrow finally. 

He took her to her room, where she was finally calm again. 

“I need to go potty,” Ruby sniffled nervously.

Jack sighed in defeat. “Go ahead.’

She ran out and ran back in shortly after, going straight to her bed. 

“Are you goin to tew me a story?”

“Of course,” he said smiling at her. At first glance it was hard to tell, but the little girl took after Sonic in many ways. From her rounded, brilliant green eyes, to her flat muzzle and long nose, and especially her energetic personality. The rest of her was all echidna. 

He put a quilt over her small body and sat on the soft pile rug, next to her bed. He looked through the books on her bookshelf, deciding instead to adlib a story.

“I know a story about… a hero, and an army commander. And how they fought a war to stop this terrible bad guy. The bad guy... wore a scary mask. He was very powerful and he used his power to hurt and scare a lot of people. Then one day, the hero stopped him with the army commander at his side. Their army was made up of their friends and some of them used these alien powered weapons, wispons I think they were called. They all fought bravely, beating the bad guy and stopping him from hurting any more people. The hero and army commander were in love and when they got older, they got married and had a little baby girl, just like you, Ruby.”

“But what happen to the bad guy?” Ruby questioned. 

“I don't know,” Jack sighed. “I guess, he stayed all alone. He had no friends.”

“The hero could be his friend.”

“But the bad guy did so much bad stuff. No one wants to be his friend.”

“It's okay. Daddies say, when you do something bad, don’t do it again. Then, it's a new day!”

“You're so right, Ruby. You're a very smart girl. Your daddies taught you well. Now it’s time to sleep.” He leaned over to kiss her forehead and she rolled over, falling asleep almost instantly. “Goodnight, sweetheart.

"... the hero could be his friend, alright,” Jack said to himself as he left the room. “And, that's all he can ever be.”

Jack went to sit on the couch in the living area of the burrow, waiting for the couple to return.

He had dozed off for a while, perking up when he heard the sound of the couple coming back into the burrow. But only Sonic came in.

“Hey, Jack. Thanks again for doing this. How'd it go?” Sonic said, sitting down next to him. 

The jackal exhaled sharply, nervous about their proximity to each other. The setting felt so much more intimate. 

“Not too bad. I got her to go to sleep, at least. Where's Knuckles?” Jack asked. 

“He's outside setting up Ruby's present,” Sonic told him.

“Oh.”

“What's up, Jack?” Sonic asked, sensing something was amiss.

“Well, things didn't go exactly as ‘red daddy’ said.”

Sonic laughed, “They rarely ever do. Ruby can definitely be a handful. I hope it wasn't too much trouble.”

“No, not at all. She's just kind of hard to keep up with. And she didn't want to eat what he said she could have.”

“Did she have a hot dog? She always wants a hot dog. I'd give it to her but I don't want to undermine Knuckles' parenting by always being the one to give in to her demands. He wants her to grow up eating things grown here on the island, like he did. I tell him I grew up on processed junk food and I turned out totally fine.”

The jackal snickered at that. “You guys have the weirdest problems.”

“Yeah, it’s always the frivolous things that one of us will get up in arms about, but we always find a way to compromise. So it’s really no big deal. We’re always on the same wavelength about the important stuff.”

“That’s good. You got yourself a good guy there Sonic.”

“He is…” Sonic suddenly remembered how he almost didn’t go back to his love after Jack had helped him escape a situation created at the hands of his former rival. Sonic shook off the memory, not wanting to bring up his past trauma, and thought about his daughter again. “Did Ruby go to bed okay at least?”

“She didn't want to come inside,” Jack told him truthfully. “She threw a fit.”

Sonic chuckled softly. “Yeah, that sounds about right. She can be pretty stubborn sometimes. Just like her other daddy. I was hoping she wouldn’t give you a hard time. I would've warned you, but I didn't want to jinx it.”

“Well, when she started crying, I kind of lost my temper and yelled at her. I’m... sorry Sonic.”

Sonic sighed. “Don't worry about it. Knuckles does that all the time. I always have to remind him that she's just a little girl. She's not doing it on purpose. There might be another reason why she's having a hard time.”

“Yeah, she went to bed fine after that. I think she was just tired. But, damn. I don't know how you do this every day, Sonic.”

“I told you it wasn't easy. We're learning as we go along. And it's a team effort. It's harder when it's just one person. I'm lucky I have Knuckles.”

“He's lucky to have you. You're pretty amazing, Sonic,” Jack said, discreetly placing his hand on Sonic's knee. 

Sonic blinked, not sure of what to make of Jack's sudden affection toward him. Jack unexpectedly leaned in, seizing Sonic’s mouth in a lip crushing kiss. 

The hedgehog’s own desire didn't allow him to push the jackal away immediately. He kissed him back until he felt Jack's hand running up his thigh and start to caress his hip. 

Sonic finally jerked away, gasping in surprise. “What're you doing? Jack, I can't.”

The jackal persisted, keeping his hand on Sonic. “Haven't you ever wondered, what if, I hadn't left you that day at the beach? Sonic, would we have gotten together?”

“What? I don't know, Jack. Back then, we’d only known each other for a couple of days. There wasn't enough time for any real feelings to develop. I mean, I did like you... and when you left, I was heartbroken. But that's all just a memory now. And it should stay a memory. There's no point in dwelling on what ifs. Anyway, without Knuckles, I wouldn't have Ruby. I can't imagine what my life would be like without her.”

“Right… of course. That was really insensitive. I'm sorry I said that. I should go.” Jack stood up heading towards the door. 

“Wait, don't go yet. I really do appreciate you staying to watch Ruby today. Are you sure I can’t repay you?” Sonic said following him to the door.

“No. I told you. I'm happy to help out.”

“Okay,” Sonic said awkwardly. He hugged himself, feeling somewhat vulnerable. “Goodbye, Jack. I'll see you again soon, I hope.”

“Yeah. Me too.” Jack exited the burrow.

Sonic swiped his fingers over his mouth, still reeling from the kiss. He collected himself and went outside, meeting Knuckles at the tallest tree near their burrow. 

“Everything okay?” Knuckles asked Sonic. “Jack looked like he was in a hurry to leave.”

“Yeah, everything’s fine,” Sonic covered. “It's just late. He wasn't planning on being out here this late.”

“Are you sure, Sonic? You know, sometimes I have to wonder if he still has a thing for you.”

“No,” Sonic lied. “I don't think so. He walked out on me, remember? Not the other way around.”

“Well... maybe he regrets it,” Knuckles suggested.

The guardian was right, and Sonic knew that. He didn't like where the conversation was heading, and kept quiet. Knuckles picked up the hint.

“Okay, okay, Sonic. I'll drop it.”

“Thank you.”

“How was Ruby? Did she scare him away?”

“No. He did great. It was just the usual stuff, you know.”

“Oh. Guess she's just like that with everyone,” Knuckles decided. He finished securing the tire swing that was Ruby’s half-birthday surprise. “So… what do you think?”

“It’s great! But I think we better test it, for safety reasons,” Sonic said playfully.

“Looks fun doesn't it?” 

“Oh yeah, Ruby is definitely going to love it.”

Some distance away, Jack stayed on the island for a while, watching the couple as they played on the swing.

Sonic got on the tire, while Knuckles pushed him higher and higher, running under the swing to lift Sonic to the highest point before rushing forward. As Sonic swung back and then forth, he leapt off the swing and into Knuckles’ open arms. Sonic wrapped his legs around his waist as the echidna caught him. Sonic kissed Knuckles, and the echidna tumbled backwards onto the soft grass with Sonic in tow.

As the couple kissed on the grass, Jack realized they were starting to become more intimate, and finally turned away from the scene.

He wasn't sure what he thought he would accomplish with this visit. But at the very least, the glimpse he got into Sonic’s home life revealed that the hero was very happy and very much in love. Jack had to find comfort in that. As much as his mind and body yearned for Sonic’s intimacy, Jack knew he couldn't be the one to take away his happiness.

**Author's Note:**

> Please share you thoughts if you really enjoyed this! I appreciate your comments. Thanks for reading!
> 
> Also, I hope everyone is doing well! I probably won't have any more stories to add to this. It's been an incredibly fun 5 year journey! 
> 
> And ah, it's starting to feel like summer in the midwest! Actually, today is memorial day in the US. I'm not sure if I'll be staying indoors with the AC cranked up playing Sonic Adventure or if I should go enjoy the outdoors lol. Well, the sooner summer comes the sooner fall will be here! I can't wait. I'm not a fan of the heat XD The best thing about summer is Sonic's anniversary. I know Sega might have some cool news for us in June. Here's to hoping! Bye for now my dears!


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